Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 11 May 2021

Committee on Public Petitions

Update on Direct Provision: The Ombudsman

Mr. Peter Tyndall:

I thank the Chairman. There are quite a lot of questions there. Some of the matters raised are policy matters and, as such, not directly within my jurisdiction. On the issue of work, for instance, I can observe, as I have previously, that there were clear advantages and improvements in morale in centres when people were allowed to work. In that light, it is clear that any expansion of the right to work is likely to be met with very considerable satisfaction by the people concerned who are able to work as a consequence of any changes. However, it is clear that it is not for me to determine the policy on that issue.

On the issue of unannounced visits, it is a mixed bag because much of what we wish to do is to speak to people so that they can bring their complaints to us. By publicising visits in advance, we can get the maximum possible turnout while we are there. On the other hand, unannounced visits afford us the ability to get a real feel for what things are like when people have not been preparing for our visit. It was suggested in the UK that the Queen assumes that all toilets smell of fresh paint. I do not think anybody is busy painting before Mr. Garvey and Ms Joyce arrive but, nonetheless, announcing the visits in advance gives people an opportunity to put the best face on things.

We will continue with a mixture of both. As we said in the report - and Mr. Garvey may well want to comment on this - one of the important things for us is that, where we are told things have been fixed or where we have difficulty in getting things resolved, we are better placed to deal with those issues when we make an unannounced visit. I will come back to Mr. Garvey on that in a moment.

The issue of consultation with communities in advance is very nuanced. Sometimes it simply generates a degree of anxiety and concern before the move, which then makes it impossible for the move to go ahead. I hope that the move away from larger centres will make this less of an issue in future. Helping people to integrate into communities is important. We have seen both outcomes but overwhelmingly communities have welcomed and supported people. In the past I have paid tribute to the role of the GAA and its clubs in welcoming people into communities. If one consults in advance, one can make sure that those people who are minded to be helpful are ready and willing to support people as they move. On the other hand, it can give momentum to opposition, which can sometimes make it impossible for the move to happen. The question does not have a straightforward answer but it is important to pay tribute to the very welcoming nature of many communities in Ireland, of which we have seen plenty of evidence. We have talked about NGOs. NGOs have been helpful but an awful lot of ordinary people have also gone out of their way to be welcoming and supportive. We have seen evidence of that as we have gone around the country.